US praises Saudi role in combating Al-Qaeda in Yemen

PARIS: US Secretary of State John Kerry met Monday in Paris with Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir.They reviewed the strong and enduring relationship between their countries and discussed a broad range of regional issues, including Yemen, Syria, and Iran, said US State Department spokesperson John Kirby.He said the two ministers exchanged views on the Yemeni peace talks being held in Kuwait, and the Secretary expressed the US government's appreciation for the key role Saudi Arabia continues to play in combating terrorism and AQAP in Yemen, in particular.Saudi leadership in making available an operations center and contributing the largest number of forces has been indispensable to recent successes, including most recently in Mukallah.Finally, they exchanged views regarding the fight against Daesh and the restoration of the cessation of hostilities in Syria in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution no. 2254. Kerry provided an update on recent discussions and the situation on the ground, and they both stressed the importance of all sides fully respecting the cessation of hostilities.

Hajj Ministry: More than 7.46m Umrah visas issued so far

The Vision 2030 reform plan aims to attract more than 30 million Umrah pilgrims, and provide them with excellent services and an outstanding experience

Updated 25 May 2019

Arab News

May 25, 2019 15:22

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RIYADH: The number of Umrah visas issued this year has reached 7,463,259, of which 6,964,943 pilgrims have arrived in the Kingdom, according to data provided by the Hajj Ministry.
There are 925,246 pilgrims still in the Kingdom, with 679,929 in Makkah and 245,317 in Madinah, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
Most pilgrims — 6,185,504 — came to the Kingdom by air, while 671,356 entered by land and 108,083 arrived by sea.
The largest number of pilgrims are from Pakistan (1,530,855) followed by Indonesia (934,827), India (635,675), Egypt (524,728), Algeria (353,425), Yemen (323,083), Turkey (300,517), Malaysia (26,9554), Iraq (268,179) and Jordan (194,908).
The weekly data also included the number of Saudi staff within Umrah companies and institutions. They are 10,852 Saudis including 8,978 males and 1,874 females.
Developing Hajj and Umrah organizations and services in the Kingdom is among the top priorities of the Saudi government.
The Vision 2030 reform plan aims to attract more than 30 million Umrah pilgrims, and provide them with excellent services and an outstanding experience.